1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data transfer between databases and applications and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for creating packets of data to be transferred between processes operating on digital computers.
2. The Background Art
Whenever two processes are operating, particularly when the two processes are hosted in different (remote) computers, transfer of data between the processes is an important process in and of itself. Each computer must have certain information, such as formatting, protocols and the like, required for passing data. Using available protocols, two computers may negotiate a format to be used for passing data therebetween.
With the growth of modern network technology, networks may be comprised of numerous application routers into an internetwork. Accordingly, a packet of data, transferred between two computers, may pass through several hops (application routers) between a sender and a receiver. Accordingly, extended time may be involved. Packets may be lost, corrupted, dropped due to excessive time delay, or the like.
Moreover, an application may have pieces or processes that operate at different locations on different computers. For example, a client process may be executed by one computer in an internetwork, while a corresponding server process is executing in a computer elsewhere in the internetwork. Similarly, two individual clients within an application may have need of similar or identical data. In general, data transfer occurring between two computers, or two processes remote from one another, may need to transfer data. Accordingly, some format must be negotiated and agreed upon between these processes. Transfer protocols for packets are typically embodied within some executable code hosted in a sender and a receiver. Accordingly, only limited options for packet configuration are allowable. Moreover, whenever a new packeting format is desired, a corresponding protocol must be installed in a source machine and a destination machine before the protocol may be implemented.
Data formats may be changed periodically for certain processes. Nevertheless, not every process in a group of related, inter-communicating, processes will be updated at the same time. Therefore, certain processes are incapable of receiving or transferring data in accordance with some recently updated format. Conventionally, each process that handles data involved in a transfer needs to parse through the data. Accordingly, each computer handling transferred data needs to understand the format of the data.
What is needed is a standardized packet. A standardized packet needs to provide some minimal amount of application-related data sufficient to consummate transfer. However, such a packeting format needs to have a wrapper structure that does not require every involved computer participating in a transfer to parse the data.